SoundField to Show New Range of Mics for Broadcasters

March 8, 2007

U.K.-based microphone manufacturer SoundField will show its first digital microphone, the DSF-2, at NAB2007.

Developed over five years of intensive R&D, the DSF-2 captures 5.1 audio for HD and can be used at up to 1.3 km (0.8 mi.) from its associated broadcast vehicle. Its ability to capture stereo and surround audio simultaneously makes it particularly appropriate for broadcasters who need to maintain backwards-compatible SD transmissions alongside their new HD programming.

Last year, the DSF-2 captured 5.1-crowd ambience at the World Cup in Germany. More recently, Sky has announced that it is standardizing on the DSF-2 as its Surround microphone of choice for its HD Sports coverage.

SoundField will also show the recently introduced ST350, a compact, portable mic for field recording. The electronics in the ST350 and its associated control unit were designed at the same time as those of the DSF-2, creating a microphone head weighing just 290 grams (around two-thirds of a pound) and measuring about half the size of the older SoundField ST250 mic. Running from the mains or 9-18V power cells, the ST350 may be used with cable runs of up to 200 meters from its control unit.

SoundField will also exhibit its most recent and compact product, the SPS200, which weighs a mere 220 grams (about half a pound). The first SoundField mic to be supplied without an associated control unit/decoder, the SPS200 offers the same audio recording format flexibility and 5.1 Surround recording capability of higher-end SoundField mics.